Thesis:

Both inspired by the American Revolution, the Haitian Revolution maintained its original goal of independence while the French Revolution went to the extremes and lost its original goal for creating a new form of represetative government.

How they are similar

  • completly threw out their former governments
  • had influenencial people/ ie. Maximilien Robespierre (France) and Toussaint Louverture (Haiti)
  • Mass riots, revolts
  • Enlightenment ideals started both revolutions
  • Social reformers seeking to organize broader programs of liberation
  • Wanted equality (political,legal) among the people, no elites
  • Similar forms of government, both similar to a republic gov't (though not true republic in France, constitutional monarchy)

The French Revolution

  • Revolutionaries drew inspiration from enlightenment political thought
  • Much more radical revolution than its American counterpart
  • The French revolution was both a political and a social uprising
  • France was originally a monarchy ruled by King Louis XVI
  • Financial troubles led France down a road to revolution
  • 3/4 of French revenue went to war debts and armed forces, and the peasantry could not be taxed even more
  • King tried taxing Aristocrats, but they protested this effort and summoned the Estates General, a representative meeting
  • Third Estate (The upper class) supported reform, but other estates turned it down, so the Third Estate formed their own National Assembly
  • The National Assembly sparked violent rebellion throughout the cities and streets of France
  • Jean-Paul Marat also helped "light the people's fire"
  • He wrote over exaggerated articles in his newspaper to anger people, until he was assassinated on July 13, 1973 by Charlotte Corday
  • Emboldened by popular support, the National Assembly wrote the "Decleration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen " which was similar to the American constitution
  • more...

The Haitian Revolution

  • The only succesfull slave revolt in hisory took place in Haiti
  • In 1789, the French revolution broke out in France. So naturally the French colonists of Saint Dominique wanted to govern themselves
  • They however, ignored proposals to give poitical equility to the "gens de color", free people of color
  • In 1791, a fight broke out between the gens de color and the French settelers in Saint Dominique
  • A well liked voudo priest, named Boukman organized a salve revolt in the same year
  • Boukman died and the slaves overwelmed the French colonists under the leadership of Fracious-Dominique Toussaint
  • However Toussaint called himself L'overture,
  • In 1801 Loverture wrote a constitution granting rights to all the residents of Saint Dominique
  • He didn't however go as far as declaring independence from France because he didn't want to deal with Napoleon
  • But Napoleon sent troops anyways and captured Toussaint
  • The Black learders who came after Toussaint defeated the remaining French Troops and declared independence in 1804.
the Haitian Revolution in depth...

other review topics to look at would be compare forms of western intervention in Latin Americas and in Africa.

edited by Samantha Gray
edited bt Billy Neese

Validated by Robert Fuelle
excellent facts and thesis
good readability
Validated by Brittney Fidler, great info, definatley helpful